


Draw the Shades

by Nomolosk



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Chat can see ghosts, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-19
Updated: 2020-11-19
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:55:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27626404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nomolosk/pseuds/Nomolosk
Summary: Chat Noir discovers an... interesting side-effect to using the black cat miraculous. Then, one night his world turns upside down when an unexpected intruder appears in his room.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Emilie Agreste & Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 35
Kudos: 137





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This work is inspired by the fantabulous fanart of bugaboo-n-bananoir on tumblr! https://nomolosk.tumblr.com/post/634889683988627456/bugaboo-n-bananoir-ghost-cat-for-ladybuginettes

It started slowly. 

Chat Noir would catch glimpses of a strange glow out of the corner of his eye, just enough to distract him at a crucial moment. At first it was only once in a while, and even though Ladybug was inevitably annoyed and it usually ended up with him taking a few hits he could have normally avoided, it didn’t happen often enough to be a problem.

Plus, it was only a problem (except it wasn’t, not really, not in the beginning) for Chat Noir.  _ Adrien _ never saw  _ anything _ (this was true more often than he thought, but we’re speaking of specific circumstances here). 

But then it started happening more frequently. Perhaps it was because he could never stop himself from responding to that hint of light where none should be- that hazy impression of a  _ presence _ , even in the daytime, that demanded his attention. He always looked. Always. Because, after all, it could be a threat… but it never was. And he managed to convince himself it couldn’t be what he  _ thought _ it was.

And then Syren happened. And when Adrien transformed again, after that talk with the mysterious little Chinese man who had inexplicably shown up on his roof,  _ they _ were  _ everywhere. _

This time he couldn’t ignore it. The spirits were thick in the air around him- would have been smothering, all of them trying to occupy the same space… if they had been tangible. Most of them knew what had happened- they were talking about it rather calmly, actually, wondering how long it would take Ladybug and Chat Noir to defeat the akuma and bring them back. 

That was when Chat had the horrifying revelation that people had died in akuma attacks before. Somehow, the spirits knew, even if they hadn’t known when they were alive, that Ladybug’s miraculous cure would revive them. Perhaps it was a side-effect of being killed by an akuma, but they all seemed very confident in Ladybug’s ability to return them to life. The only ones who didn’t seem to understand what was happening were the children. The other spirits comforted them as best they could, reassuring them that everything would be put right soon. 

“I’m sorry,” Chat whispered to them, horrified by this new knowledge. Syren’s power seemed more daunting than ever, even with the powerup that granted him the ability to breathe underwater. Enraged at the sheer  _ gall _ of the man who called himself Hawkmoth, he cast himself into the water with a new-found purpose. Whatever it was Hawkmoth wanted with their miraculouses, it couldn’t be worth  _ this. _

\----

“Hello, Chat Noir,” Ladybug said, dropping gracefully down beside him on the roof where they would begin patrolling. It was two days after they fought Syren and, mercifully, Hawkmoth had refrained from akumatizing even someone as easy to defeat as Mr. Pigeon. Chat was still on edge, unsettled by his unexpected power and not quite sure how to tell her about it (or even if he should. It might distress her to know people had died in akuma attacks).

“Hey,” he replied, and it sounded strained to his enhanced hearing. She must have picked up on that, too, because she winced.

“Listen, I’m  _ really sorry _ about what happened with the last akuma- I mean, when you wanted to know what was going on, and I didn’t tell you... It’s just… it wasn’t my secret to tell, you know? My kwami didn’t even want to tell  _ me _ about the Guardian, but then something came up and she  _ had _ to, and-”

“Ladybug,” he said, cutting her off. “It’s okay. Really. I know- duty is very important to you. And honestly it is to me, too! And while I’m still annoyed that I was kept out of the loop, Master Fu explained what he could.”

“Oh!” Ladybug said, relief in every line of her body. “Good. Well then, let’s-”

“It’s something else,” Chat blurted out before she could tempt him into ‘forgetting.’ It was rude to interrupt, and he reflexively cringed away from an expected slap for having done it  _ twice _ in as many minutes, but he had to get this out. 

Ladybug stared at him, half annoyed, half conflicted, and Chat gave her a smile he hoped was reassuring. “It’s nothing personal! At least, it doesn’t affect my civilian life at all, but it  _ does _ impact me as Chat Noir, and my kwami said you should know, so…”

Ladybug’s face relaxed into a small smile, and she sat down beside him. “Alright then. As long as it won’t give away your identity.”

“It won’t,” Chat assured her. “It’s kinda creepy, though. Really creepy.”

Ladybug cocked an eyebrow and smirked. “Well, you do wield  _ destruction _ , kitty. I can’t imagine there are too many  _ comforting _ extras that come with that.”

Chat chuckled weakly. “Touche.” 

His smile faded as he thought how to begin. 

“So, you know how…? No, that’s not right.” He frowned and then began again. “You know how I sometimes get a little distracted in the middle of a fight?”

“Yeah?”

“Well, it’s not that I’m not paying attention, it’s more that I’m… my attention is somewhere _else._ _On_ something else.”

“What do you mean? Usually when this happens, I look over and you’re just staring off into space.”

“Yeah…” he drew out the word. “I know you can’t see anything, but that space isn’t actually  _ empty.” _

Chat Noir glanced over to see her confused and incredulous expression. He sighed in defeat. 

“I can see spirits, m’Lady,” he said, giving in to the inevitable. Another glance at her reminded him of that meme with the guy with the raised eyebrows and the slow blink of disbelief. He sighed again.

“No, I’m not crazy, yes, I  _ can _ see... spirits, ghosts, visions of the dead- whatever you want to call them. Apparently it’s something that some of the holders of my miraculous have been able to do in the past. Plagg explained it all. He said they’re not dangerous, unless I let them distract me.” He held up a hand. “And yes, I know I’ve been letting them do that. But that was before I knew what I was seeing. I had to count them as a possible threat before. Now I know they’re not, and I’m going to start ignoring them, I promise. I just needed  _ you _ to know. In case it’s relevant at some point.”

He risked another look out of the corner of his eye. Ladybug’s eyebrows were still raised, and she looked like she didn’t quite believe him, but wasn’t willing to press the point.

“Well… It sounds kinda crazy, Chat, not gonna lie. But somehow I can’t see you saying all this as a mere prank, and if your kwami is backing you up... I guess as long as you won’t let them distract you, it’s fine,” she said, standing up. She unhooked her yo-yo, a glint in her eye and a mischievous smile on her face as she suddenly stepped off the edge of the roof, “Come on! Last one to the Tower is a rotten egg!” she called as she fell, sending her yo-yo out to curl around a convenient chimney stack.

“That’s cheating!” he shouted, his odd power all but forgotten as he flung himself into pursuit.

\----

Now that he knew what they were, Chat found he could ignore the spirits that clustered- sometimes thickly- around every akuma fight. They were still on his radar, and when there were a lot of them he joked less and fought harder (having an audience of the dead will do that to you, I guess). He did like to watch them disappear when Ladybug threw her lucky charm- it was satisfying to know he’d been part of righting their wrongs like that.

That said, Chat really preferred the akumas that didn’t draw a lot of spirits. 

He quickly grew fond of Mr. Pigeon, despite his allergy. Not only was he quick to beat, but he and his pigeons typically didn’t cause any deaths- unlike the akumas with transformative powers. (The ice cream afterwards didn’t hurt either, though after fighting Glaciator, his taste for ice cream noticeably waned.)

It was a relief he couldn’t see them unless he was transformed, though he knew there were probably a few hanging around nearly anywhere he went. Paris was centuries old, and had seen a lot of war and violence, after all. But even as Chat Noir, he usually only ran into spirits at akuma battles. 

Plagg said they were usually tethered to the place that they’d died, and could only move so far away from it before risking unravelling. It was an odd term to use in that context, but Adrien didn’t question it, preferring to take Plagg at his word. He also said that spirits could hang around for a very long time indeed but most of them dissipated after a couple of centuries. It was just too boring to stick around once everything and everyone they’d ever known was dead or changed.

He’d never seen any spirits at the mansion, and he’d always assumed that was because the building was too new and no one had died there yet. The spirits who had died in the times before the mansion occupied the space had no doubt already moved on- something he was very grateful for, even if he couldn’t see them as Adrien. Which is why it caught him by surprise when the tell-tale glow of a spirit caught his eye just as he was about to leave his bedroom for a scheduled patrol with Ladybug.

Wide-eyed, he turned toward the glow, a kind of macabre fascination forcing him to stop and see. Had some unfortunate sewer worker died under the mansion? Did he need to call the police to investigate?

His fascination turned to horror as he saw the reverse image of his aunt-  _ his mother- _ rise up through the floor. His mouth gaped soundlessly and he nearly crushed the baton in his hands, heart beating at a frantic pace as he watched her look around. She looked so much like her pictures- apparently hadn’t aged a day… His mind whirled with the impossible, horrifying implications.

She looked at him and startled, then narrowed her eyes and rushed at him, circling him swiftly, like Plagg sometimes did when he was trying to annoy Adrien into giving him more cheese. Chat shivered. He’d never gotten close enough to a spirit as Chat Noir to know if they could make themselves felt to the living- not since Syren anyway, and then he’d been too shocked and appalled to notice. Or perhaps the water power-up had shielded him from the cold.

Because ghost-Emilie  _ was _ cold.  _ Very _ cold.

_ “Who are you? Where is my son?” _ she hissed in an echoing whisper.  _ “You’re a miraculous holder- I can see the power in your ring! What have you done with him!?” _

“L-lady, y-you’re...” Chat stuttered through chattering teeth. “B-but-t Adrien’s m-mother is m-m-missing!”

At that, ghost-Emilie backed off, sadness replacing the suspicion on her face.  _ “Not anymore. I’d hoped…” _ she trailed off.  _ “But it’s too late, now. My husband didn’t keep his promise. I just wanted to see my son one more time. Where is he?” _

Chat consciously released the tension in his shoulders, but his heart kept hammering on, and he gulped convulsively. 

“Uh… he won’t be back for a while. But… if you don’t mind my asking, where have you been all this time?” It took a monumental effort to keep the desperate plea out of his voice. “The disappearance of Emilie Agreste… that was front page news for a while, you know? It’d be nice to let the police know they can stop looking. And I’m sure Adrien would like some closure as well.” He gulped again at her frown. “Sorry. That came out… a little insensitive.”

_ “I don’t think I’ll tell you. From the look of you, you’re the holder of one of the miraculouses my husband needed to bring me back. That makes you the enemy.” _ She folded her arms and turned her translucent back to him.

Chat gaped again. 

No.

_ NO. _

It… it  _ couldn’t _ be true.

The question came out in a strangled whine, but he couldn’t stop himself. He had to know for sure. 

“Gabriel Agreste is Hawkmoth??”

Ghost-Emilie shrugged.  _ “Is that what he called himself? Hmph. I could have come up with a better name, but he insisted *I* wear the peacock broach because it was ‘too garish’ for him to wear, and look where that got us.” _

Chat felt his knees begin to buckle, but fortunately his reflexes kicked in and he whipped the baton out and extended it in time to avoid falling on the floor. He breathed shakily for a few moments.

_ “Aw, poor little superhero…” _ Ghost-Emilie mocked.  _ “I take it you didn’t know? Well, at least he didn’t give himself away the first time he tried it. That surprises me… but I guess running a company that preys on negative body images is a *bit* evil.” _

She trailed off, one glowing finger placed thoughtfully on a luminal chin. Chat swallowed down the bile that was trying to force its way up his esophagus, ignoring the acid bite of it. “Y-you said I was the en-enemy,” he said, voice cracking a little. “Why are you telling me this?”

Ghost- Emilie’s expression darkened and she glared at him, holding her arms out wide and seeming to take a step back.  _ “Look at me. Do you think I care anymore? Gabriel *failed.* He didn’t bring me back, and now I’m dead and I don’t care anymore. Let him get caught! It’s what he deserves for not keeping his promise.” _

Chat’s mouth was drier than a desert, but he… he had to ask. “What about your son? Where does that leave him?”

Ghost-Emilie’s expression softened a little.  _ “Adrien… he will be fine. He’s been well-educated and he has a natural charm. Besides, Audry Bourgeois and I agreed years ago that he could marry Chloe when they were both old enough. Adrien will get by. Besides, if I know Gabriel, he’s been too focused on bringing me back to be much of a father to him. It probably won’t come as that much of a surprise, to be honest.” _ She smiled wryly, but a moment later it turned wicked.  _ “Now, I’m wondering why you even care? After all, it’s not like my son is any different than all the other people my husband has been terrorizing. Go on! Go get him,”  _ she whispered maliciously.  _ “I only wish I could stick around to enjoy his humiliation and guilt… but it’s going to be even more boring around here when he’s gone than when he was alive.” _

Cut to the heart by her callous words, Chat turned and fled.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug and Chat Noir deal with the consequences.

Akumas- a certain section of Chat Noir’s brain mused, as he raced headlong over the roofs- are kind of like zombies. Slow, a bit bumbling… yet no matter how fast you run from them, when you look,  _ they’re right behind you. _

He finally spotted Ladybug a few roofs ahead of him and that was enough to give him an extra burst of speed.

“Laaaaaadyyyyyyyyybuuuuuuuugg!”

Her head jerked up at his drawn out wail of warning, and she had her yo-yo out and whirling when Chat made a final leap and skidded to a stop beside her. He heard her cry of “Time to de-evilise!” as he tried to catch his breath.

To tell the truth he wasn’t out of breath from sprinting. It had a lot more to do with his current emotional state. He collapsed onto hands and knees in a shuddering, sobbing heap as Ladybug let the purified butterfly fly out of her yo-yo. 

A moment later, small but strong arms were around his shoulders with the weight and warmth of her body against his back as she tried to comfort him. Chat made a valiant effort to shove down and let go of the shock and horror. Ladybug needed to know.

Okay. He could do this. He could  _ do _ this! He… he  _ had _ to do this. He had to tell Ladybug that his own father was Hawkmoth. That his… his mother, she…

He started shaking again, trying to suppress fresh sobs.

“Hey, kitty, it’s alright. Breathe. Breathe. Don’t think, just breathe. Whatever it is, I’m here for you.” 

Ladybug’s voice was gentle in his ear and considering what he had to tell her, it absolutely wrecked him. He sat back onto his legs and covered his eyes with one hand, mouth open in a soundless wail. But that was a mistake, as it signalled to his body that it was finally safe. He had just enough time to wrench away from Ladybug before his stomach emptied itself onto the tiles.

He heard Ladybug murmur “lucky charm,” and then she enveloped him in a large, warm, fluffy blanket- he couldn’t feel the fluff through the suit, but there was a kind of squishiness to the fabric that indicated fluff. He clutched it around himself and once more tried to regain control, choking and coughing from the lingering sting of bile. Ladybug eventually sat down next to him, arm supportively around his back while he fought his internal battle against despair.

\----

Chat Noir didn’t know how long it had been by the time he finally felt he could speak, but he eventually managed at least that much.

“I’m sorry,” he said hoarsely. “I let my emotions get away from me.”

Ladybug, who had been gently rubbing and patting his back, with a few forays up into his hair to scratch around his suit-ears, just rubbed a bit more vigorously in mute admonishment.

“Everyone breaks down sometimes, Chat,” she finally sighed. “It’s just lucky tonight was patrol and you could run fast enough to get to me before… Besides, as far as I know, you have nothing to be sorry about.”

“You don’t know what’s wrong,” he whispered, his voice failing him.

Ladybug stayed silent, but he got the impression she disagreed with him. And perhaps she had a point. She had certainly broken down on him a few times in the past- their very first (second?) battle against Stoneheart, in fact. And then there was the whole debacle with Master Fu and Miracle Queen, and the New York fiasco… although New York had been more his doing than hers.

But neither of those compared to finding out your own father was the terrorist you’d been fighting against for years. Chat pushed thoughts of his mother aside. As much as it pained him to admit it, it was easier to think about his father being Hawkmoth than it was to know that his own mother had been selfish enough to demand her husband bring her back to life at any cost.

At least he knew she hadn’t been dead all this time. Her spirit had certainly talked as though it was a recent event… and if she’d been dead for a while, she probably would have visited him before tonight and learned his secret.

Chat pushed those thoughts aside. They didn’t matter, and would only make it harder to control his emotions. The last thing he wanted to do (after telling Ladybug the truth) was draw another akuma.

“I have to tell you something, Ladybug,” he said, before he could chicken out. “You’re not going to like it, especially since it will reveal my identity to you.”

“Chat, you can’t-!” She started pulling away in reflexive rejection, but his hand snapped out and grabbed her wrist.

“I  _ have _ to!” he said savagely, turning to her with sudden, blazing anger burning away the grief and shock. “I have to because I know who Hawkmoth is! He’s… he’s…”

And just like that the anger snuffed out leaving him feeling drained and almost empty. Ladybug was staring at him wide-eyed.

“He’s my father. Hawkmoth is my father,” he said, repeating himself dully, as if hearing it would make it seem like something other than a horrible, vicious nightmare. He suddenly ached all over. “And my mother,” he continued, slurring his words a little as exhaustion set in, “she… she put him up to it.”

“Chat…  _ no!” _

He could hear the pain in her voice- horror that didn’t even come close to matching his... but at least he knew she was trying.

“I’m so sorry,” he whimpered, drawing into a ball and pulling the lucky charm blanket even tighter around himself. It was odd that it had remained for so long… and he had yet to hear a chirp from Ladybug’s earrings. Had it really been less than the normal five minutes? To him it felt like half the night had passed as he tried to pull himself together.

“Oh, no, oh  _ Chat… _ it’s not your fault,” Ladybug said, slowly gathering him back in her arms. “I am so sorry that… but how do you know?” she asked hesitantly. “I hate to make you talk about it, but… if the akuma was after you, does your father know that you know? Does he know you are Chat Noir?”

He shook his head. 

“As far as I know, Father has no clue that I’m Chat Noir, and he doesn’t know that I know about him, either.”

“Then how-”

“Mother told me.”

“Oh.” A pause, then, “Why did she tell you now?”

From her tone, Chat knew she was hoping to hear that his mother had had a change of heart. His own heart sank, knowing that that was as far from the truth as possible.

“Sh-she told me,” his voice started shaking with suppressed tears again, “because she’s  _ dead _ . I-I thought she was just missing! But she floated into my room tonight just as I was leaving… A-and she’s mad at Father for not getting our miraculouses in time.” He sniffled. “I don’t think she even knew she was talking to  _ me.” _

Ladybug tightened her arms around him, and he clutched at her with one hand, trembling.

“Ok, kitty, that’s it. Come on, up you get!”

Surprise temporarily blew away the suffocating smog of despair and he looked up wide-eyed as she held out her hand.

“Come on!” she repeated, a confident smile on her face. It was the smile she got when she figured out a lucky charm, and that gave him a little hope.

“But,” he started, reaching for her hand. “I still have to tell you who Hawkmoth is.”

“Not tonight, you don’t,” she said, bracing against his pull as he clambered up. “You’re in no condition to fight- you clearly need some time to process and recover. Hawkmoth has been around for this long, one or two more nights shouldn’t make much difference. But,” she continued, looking off into the distance, “you shouldn’t go home, either. Not when you’re feeling this badly. He already tried to akumatize you once, and I don’t trust him not to try again whether he knows who you are or not. Which means you need to stay with me.”

She met his stupified look with a wry grin. “No, I’m not taking you to my house, kitty, not yet anyway. I have somewhere else that should be safe enough.”

Chat was a little surprised he didn’t feel all that disappointed. But then, perhaps the disappointment was just buried beneath far more important reasons for despair and self-loathing.

Regardless, he followed Ladybug as she started swinging across the city. By the time they arrived at their destination, which appeared to be a small, empty shop building not all that far from where his hou-  _ the mansion- _ was, he felt mostly numb. Considering his previous condition, it was a step up, but he wasn’t sure how much of a step up it was.

Ladybug let them both in through a roof hatch that she had to unlock with a key she pulled from her yo-yo. They dropped down into an empty, dusty attic room that looked like it had once been a living space.

“Where are we? And why do you have the keys to this place?” he asked. 

“This is where Master Fu used to live. He had a little massage parlor here before… well, before he had to leave.” Ladybug looked away. Chat knew she still felt guilt over what had happened, and he knew he should reassure her, but at the moment he just didn’t have the emotional energy.

“Anyway,” Ladybug continued, heaving a breath, “he left me the keys as well as all the information on how and where to keep paying rent and utilities, plus access to a special account for that purpose. I kept doing it because I thought we might need a safe-house at some point, and even though Hawkmoth found out who he was and probably found out about this place at the same time, it’s been empty for long enough now to have fallen off his radar.”

Chat nodded, satisfied with that explanation. They went down the ladder into the shop part of the building, and here Ladybug got out supplies for their impromptu sleep-over. A couple of sleeping bags as well as two hammocks that she tied up to support posts, an electric kettle, a packet of crackers and a couple tins of tuna. There were also paper plates and two slightly dented mugs, and a fork and knife for each of them. And because she was Ladybug, she also had a box of trash bags, some paper towels, and a plastic shopping bag of fast food condiment packets that would make the tunafish much tastier when mixed in with it.

Ladybug filled the electric kettle with water from the tap and they shortly had a little picnic of hot tea sweetened with honey packets, and tuna fish crackers. 

After that, they curled up in their sleeping bags. For a while everything was silent, but Chat could feel the tension in the air.

“Ladybug… what if another akuma comes?”

“I’ll stay up, kitty, don’t worry.”

“... all night?”

“All night.”

Somehow, he managed to drift into a fitful sleep.

\----

Chat woke up to grey dawn light flooding a room that was at once too small and too empty, and for a moment he panicked. First, he was transformed when he really  _ shouldn’t _ be, and secondly, this wasn’t his own room.

Thirdly, he distinctly smelled what could only be croissants and… hot chocolate? mingled with a lot of dust. The food scents were a heavenly aroma first thing in the morning, but both of those things were forbidden to him on anything except a rare occasion, so he definitely should not be smelling them in tandem.

For a moment he thought he might have fallen asleep on Marinette’s balcony again… but it was definitely an enclosed space, so that wasn’t right.

He cracked an eye open, and the first thing he saw was Ladybug’s spotted back as she moved quietly around the room, muttering to herself. He shifted, and she stiffened, then turned to look at him. She looked tired, as if she’d stayed up all night.

Then it all came back to him. His mom’s ghost drifting up through his own floor, the reveal of Hawkmoth, the terrible,  _ awful _ things she’d said… all because she hadn’t recognized him. He was sure she wouldn’t have said those things to  _ Adrien, _ if he could have seen her detransformed.

The grief hit him hard. Yet even as it did, he recognized that it was not the overwhelming tornado of emotions that had swept him away the night before. Sadness, yes. Horror and guilt and shame… those, too. But knowing that Ladybug knew, too, and was still sticking with him, still trying to help him, helped. He wasn’t alone.

Ladybug sent him a hesitant and gentle smile, though she didn’t say anything. Chat smiled back, though he was sure it was a weak and pitiful thing, considering. Still, he wasn’t alone. Ladybug had often called them an unbeatable team, and he was sure that as long as they were together, he could get through this.

It would be a long, hard road. But together, they could do it.

\----

Of course, it was Ladybug who came up with the plan they eventually adopted. They had decided that they absolutely could not confront Gabriel alone. It needed to be in public so there could be no doubt as to his identity. And they needed to have back-up ready and in place. Ladybug emptied the miraculous box and they took turns delivering them to their chosen allies.

Ladybug stressed that they shouldn’t choose anyone too close to his civilian identity because their natural anger at discovering Hawkmoth’s identity during the coming battle could open them up to akumatization. Chat was disappointed, but he had to admit that he didn’t want to face Rena Rage or Shell Shock again. And the very thought of an akumatized Multimouse was terrifying.

The only problem was that he didn’t really know many people outside of school or photoshoots. Anyone at school whom he knew well enough to trust with a miraculous could also be a target for a butterfly. And anyone he knew from photoshoots might hesitate when they saw who they were actually up against. Gabriel Agreste was a force to be reckoned with, and not just because he also happened to be a magical terrorist. So he ended up letting Ladybug pick everyone, though he did appreciate the chance she’d given him to be part of the process.

While they were coordinating everything, they kept Gabriel busy by reporting him to Children’s Services. Since Adrien never went back to the mansion, and had left his phone behind, there was no way to track or find him. Naturally, Gabriel had immediately started looking for him. Adrien stayed transformed as Chat as much as possible, making regular patrols of the city to keep himself busy while Ladybug was gone during the day. It was a risk- he was still very emotional- but since Gabriel had put out a call to all Parisians to help him find his son, he had a cover in that he was “looking for that missing model,” and if Gabriel felt any anxiety or worry from him, he probably put it down to the search.

He didn’t know how exactly Ladybug had pulled it off, but she got Nino, Alya, Marinette, and even Chloe to give statements to the investigators on Adrien’s home life and their thoughts on why he might have run away. That meant the investigators had a lot more to go on, and Gabriel was kept far too busy answering their questions  _ and _ trying to run his company to akumatize anyone during the day. 

They fought several akumas at night, though.

Still, they only had to wait four days before the event that Ladybug was hoping for happened. Adrien’s father decided the best way to combat rumors was to hold a press conference to address them in front of  _ Gabriel _ headquarters. Which meant he would be out in public, in front of cameras, with lots of high-quality microphones ready to pick up anything he (or anyone else close enough) said.

Chat and Ladybug watched from a nearby roof and let him get just past his opening comments before dropping in behind him. Their allies were positioned on surrounding rooftops, but Ladybug had detailed the new Bee and the new Monkey- both adults, so using their powers wasn’t going to force a transformation- to keep tabs on Nathalie, as they both suspected her of being Mayura.

Ladybug and Chat Noir stepped up beside Gabriel, who tensed, then consciously relaxed.

“Ah, and here are our own cities’ heroes, no doubt coming to support me in my innocence.”

Ladybug maintained a neutral expression as she said, “I’m afraid that’s not why we’re here, Mr. Agreste.”

“Do you have news of my son, then?” Gabriel said eagerly, and Chat winced as he heard the raw anger behind the demand. Gabriel had always valued image above almost anything else. By running away, Adrien had blackened his father’s personal image, the public image of their home life, and his company all at the same time. For that, if for no other reason, he would never willingly put himself back under his father’s control. If it had been restrictive before, his life would have been a virtual prison sentence after this escapade. Fortunately, that wasn’t something he no longer had to fear.

“No, we do not,” Ladybug responded coolly. “We do, however, have a very different lead. Please give me your miraculous, and that of your partner. You have no right to them, and you have abused their power, and the citizens of this city, for far too long… Hawkmoth.”

A gasp went through the crowd as the clustered microphones on the podium picked up Ladybug’s clear voice. Gabriel flinched, taking a step away from them. His entire bearing screamed that he was going to try and make a run for it, but they had not come unprepared. A line of police officers appeared at the back of the podium, and while Chat didn’t put much faith in their ability to detain his father- especially not if he succeeded in transforming- at least they added yet another line of deterrence.

Chat kept his eyes on his father, even as a scuffle broke out where he knew Nathalie was standing. A cry of “Venom!” and a gasp, and then Gabriel grinned maniacally. 

“Fools! Wasting your subjugation power on my sidekick! But it doesn’t matter. Now, I will have your miraculouses and  _ nothing _ will ever stop me again!” 

He started laughing, ripping away his striped ascot to reveal a smallish dark purple gemstone underneath.

“Nooroo! Dark wing-”

“Venom!” the new bee shouted again, and stung him in the back. Gabriel froze.

Chat Noir straightened up from the crouch he hadn’t even realized he’d dropped into and watched as Ladybug calmly walked forward and unbuttoned Nathalie’s suit jacket. Inside, pinned to the lining, was a peacock broach with feathers fanned. Ladybug removed it and it flashed, the colors changing to navy and hot pink. She held it up for the crowd to see, looking around as if trying to meet everyone’s eyes. 

“The peacock miraculous!”

Another gasp and murmur rose from the crowd of reporters, and Ladybug met his eyes and smiled sadly. Chat bowed his head in renewed grief- would every adult figure in his life turn out to have feet of clay? A moment later a soft hand on his arm made him look back up.

“Do you want to do the honors, Chat Noir?” Ladybug asked solemnly, gesturing toward the petrified fashion mogul. Her question was like a stab to the heart, but he understood what she was trying to do, and the pain eased under her understanding gaze. She was trying to give him closure.

Chat took a deep breath and nodded firmly. “Of course, Ladybug.”

He walked over to his father, still frozen with that expression of evil glee on his face, and every step added an extra weight to his shoulders. He reached out and plucked the purple stone from his father’s throat. As he did, four thin wings, sharp as knives, sprouted from it. He gulped, staring at it a moment before holding it up for the crowd to see.

“The butterfly miraculous!” he proclaimed, and this time the crowd roared with approval.

Both of them walked over to the podium and the crowd quickly quieted, every breathless journalist wanting to catch every word of what would come next.

“Several days ago,” Ladybug began her prepared speech, “Chat Noir and I came across Adrien Agreste running from an akuma late at night...”

Chat Noir tuned out the rest of it. He’d helped her write it, of course. He knew how to work the media, what to say and how to say it to get the best effect. Everything in it was true- from a certain point of view.

The public didn’t need to know that Adrien Agreste was also Chat Noir. They didn’t need to know that Chat Noir could see the spirits of the dead- that his own dead mother had pointed them right at Hawkmoth. If he told them it would only hurt his credibility for, despite the clear existence of magic, those who claimed to see and talk with spirits were still too closely associated with charlatans and trickery to be taken seriously.

So he ignored the rest of the press conference, letting Ladybug take the lead as she so clearly deserved. His modeling experience came in handy as he hid his grief behind the fake smile. At least he had the satisfaction of knowing it was all over. There would be no more akumas, and there would also be no more suffocating control on his life. Yet despite that, the only thing that kept him together was knowing he would soon meet the girl behind Ladybug's mask... just as she'd promised him so long ago.


End file.
